EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
TO THE SAN FRANCISCO ETHICS COMMISSION
For the Regular Meeting of July 28, 2014
1. Budget/Staffing.
The Mayor signed the budget for Fiscal Year 2014/15 on July 22. Our budget request for FY 2014/15 was for $4,707,326; the funding in the Mayor’s proposed budget was originally $4,524,354, a difference of $182,972. The Board of Supervisors made an “add back” of $50,000 for a final total of $4,574,354. The additional funds from the BOS are intended for use in implementing new lobbyist rules and standards.
2. Investigation and enforcement program.
As of July 22, 2014, there were 20 pending formal complaints alleging violations within the Ethics Commission’s jurisdiction.
| Category | # of Complaints |
|---|---|
|
Campaign Finance
|
14
|
|
Conflict of Interest
|
2
|
|
Governmental Ethics
|
0
|
|
Lobbyist Ordinance
|
0
|
|
Campaign Consultant Ordinance
|
2
|
|
Sunshine Ordinance
|
2
|
|
TOTAL
|
20
|
3. Campaign finance disclosure program.
a. Filing deadline. The next filing deadline that applies to all committees falls on July 31, 2014 for the First Semi-Annual statement, which covers the reporting period ending June 30, 2014. In the interim, staff receives and processes campaign statements for this and other filing deadlines. Staff continues to answer questions from and conduct outreach to candidates and other committee representatives about campaign finance filing obligations.
b. Collection of late filing fees and contribution forfeitures. In fiscal year 2013-2014, as of June 30, 2014, the Commission collected a total of $14,850 in campaign finance late fees and forfeitures. Outstanding late fees and forfeitures total $13,509, of which $13,260 is pending at the Bureau of Delinquent Revenues (BDR).
c. Status of accounts to San Francisco Bureau of Delinquent Revenues (BDR). The following chart provides details on active accounts referred to BDR as of June 30, 2014:
| # | Committee/ Filer |
ID # | Treasurer or Responsible Officer | Date referral effective | Original amount referred | Last month’s balance | Current balance (Changes are in bold) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Johnny K. Wang |
100716 |
Johnny K. Wang |
4/19/11 |
$4,000 |
$4,000 |
$4,000 |
|
2 |
Coalition to Elect Chris Jackson to Community College Board |
1302351 |
Chris Jackson |
6/17/11 |
$2,658.90 |
$2,658.90 |
2,658.90 |
|
3 |
Chris Jackson For Community College Board |
1347066 |
Chris Jackson |
7/12/13 |
$6,600.94 |
$6,600.94 |
$6,600.94 |
|
TOTAL |
$13,260 |
4. Revenues report.
For fiscal year 2013-2014, the Commission was budgeted to generate $100,000 in revenues. As of June 30, 2014, the Commission received $93,223, or 93% of anticipated revenues for the year.
Revenues received so far in July 2014, representing 18% of anticipated revenues with 7% of the year having elapsed:
| Source | Budgeted Amount FY 14-15 | Receipts |
|---|---|---|
|
Lobbyist Fees
|
$37,000
|
$1,000 |
|
Other Ethics General
|
$1,000
|
$1 |
|
Campaign Finance Fines
|
$23,000
|
$2,129 |
|
Campaign Consultant Fees
|
$5,000
|
$150 |
|
Lobbyist Fines
|
$1,000
|
$0 |
|
Statements of Economic Interests Fines
|
$1,000
|
$10 |
|
Other Ethics Fines
|
$1,000
|
$9,500 |
|
Campaign Consultant Fines
|
$1,000
|
$0 |
|
Unallocated
|
$0
|
$0 |
|
Total
|
$70,000 | $12,789 |
5. Lobbyist program.
As of July 22, 2014, 105 individual lobbyists were registered with the Commission. Total revenues collected to date for the 2014-2015 fiscal year amount to $1,000 lobbyist registration fees.. The filing deadline for the next lobbyist disclosure statement is August 15, 2014.
6. Campaign Consultant program.
As of July 23, 2014, 22 campaign consultants were registered with the Commission. $6,050 in registration fees and $1,050 in fines were collected during the 2013-2014 fiscal year. $150 in registration fees have been collected so far during the 2014-2015 fiscal year. The next campaign consultant quarterly report deadline is Monday, September 15, 2014, covering the reporting period from June 1, 2014 through August 31, 2014. Staff will send reminders to all active campaign consultants before the deadline.
7. Statements of Economic Interests.
On July 2, 2014, staff referred five (5) individuals to the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) for failure to file the Annual Form 700. Also on July 2nd, 39 late filing fee letters were mailed.
Staff has also been working with the FPPC to encourage 2013 non-filers to bring their filings current, in an effort to prevent open enforcement actions from advancing to the preparation of probable cause reports.
8. Outreach and Education.
Commission staff attended the weekly Civic Hack Night at Code for America on July 2, 2014. Staff met with members of the SF Brigade who are working on building web visualizations of San Francisco campaign finance data using the Commission’s open datasets available on the City’s DataSF web site. Staff answered questions regarding the technical aspects of the data and provided context to the information within the framework of state and local law.
Additionally, the Commission continues to offer trainings on Statements of Incompatible Activities to City departments via web trainings. The following are web video trainings available on the Commission website:
Department of Building Inspection SIA Training
Controller’s Office SIA Training
Department on the Environment SIA Training
Governmental Ethics Ordinance Training for City Employees
Medical Examiner’s Office SIA Training
Non-Candidate Recipient Committee Training
Public Utilities Commission SIA Training
SIA Template Language Training
Respectfully submitted,
_________________________
John St. Croix
Executive Director
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